1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to modular stacking drawer units, and more specifically to such units which are formed of plastics material and intended to stack one upon another in a vertical array.
2. The Prior Art
Modular container units which stack one upon another are well known consumer products. Typically such units comprise a base and a lid component, with the upper surface of the lid adapted to register within the bottom of the base of a second unit, whereby enabling the base of the second unit to stack upon the lid of the first. In so doing, a vertical stacked array is formed for household storage of small items.
It is also known to adapt the container base to form a drawer assembly. The base is formed having an open side into which a drawer component can be slid in reciprocal fashion. Thus, the vertically stacked array of multiple units forms a drawer assembly, enabling the user to access the contents of the units by pulling out the appropriate drawer.
While the aforementioned consumer products work well and have found consumer acceptance, certain shortcomings prevent them from achieving an optimal satisfaction of the consumer's needs. First, in creating a vertical stack of multiple modular drawer units, an unstable situation can result whereby pulling the loaded drawer of a given modular unit may cause that unit to move relative to the stack, resulting in tipping. Secondly, lateral stability of a vertical stack is also typically less than desirable, since the registration of the currently available units together does not result in a structurally dependable interconnection and can result in the uppermost units toppling from the stack if bumped from the side. In summary, available stacked drawer or container units lack a dependable interconnection with each other which would make their separation in any direction unlikely.